Carton holder



Jan. 14, 1969 J. R. KLOMPARENS CARTON HOLDER Filed Jan. 19, 1967 INVENTOR.

. JACK R. KLOMPARENS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A carton-holding device to retain liquid-holding and pouring cartons to facilitate carrying and pouring. The device has a carton-encircling member which slips down over the carton and locationally engages an indentation in the carton and provides a base for an attached handle.

Carton holder This invention relates to kitchen utensils.

More particularly, this invention concerns a holder for liquid containing and pouring cartons.

In a further aspect, the invention concerns a carton holder adapted to detachably engage and support a liquid containing carton.

It is conventional practice to package liquid foods such as dairy products and other beverages in parafiin or wax impregnated cartons such as described in United States Patents Nos. 3,120,335, 3,120,333, 3,116,002, and 3,185,375. The cartons are usually substantially elongate rectangular boxes having an integral horizontal bottom and a folded angular top. The folded angular top creates a natural indentation at the front and rear of the carton, the front fold being employed as the opening and integral pouring spout.

Exemplary of such containers is the common milk carton usually supplied in one-quart and half-gallon sizes. Although the carton itself is usually of light weight, easily deformable material, the contents contained therein are quite heavy. Furthen-wax or paraflin impregnated paper exhibits a slippery surface, especially after acquiring surface condensation as deposited during refrigerated storage.

The user of such a carton is required to manipulate a rather heavy, ungainly container upon which he cannot attain an adequate grip due to deformation and a slippery surface. It frequently happens, therefore, that when milk is being poured, the carton slips from the hand and milk is spilled.

Several prior art devices to facilitate the handling of the above type of cartons have been proposed. While such devices alleviate the necessity of attaining a secure grip upon the carton, they have not proven to be entirely adequate. The prior art carton holders are either complex structures Ibeing expensive to manufacture, or lack adequate means for retention of the carton within the holder such that tipping the carton beyond a given angle could cause the carton to slide out of the holder.

It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to provide a carton holder adapted to detachably support and locationally engage the carton.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a carton holder having a handle to facilitate the manipulation of wax or paraffin impregnated paper liquid containers.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a carton holder which is readily and conveniently transferable from one carton to another.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a carton holder which will locationally engage the carton and thereby prevent accidental separation of the carton and the holder.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a carton holder of the character above described which is extremely durable and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

These and other, further and more specific objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the components of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention as it would appear when positioned upon a liquid container; and

FIG. 3 is an elevational view in section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2 illustrating a preferred method of engagement between the holder and the carton.

Briefly, to attain the desired objectives of my invention, I first provide a rectangular encircling member adapted to encompass the carton near the upper portion thereof in close parallel relationship to the sides. A handle attached centrally to one of the sides of the encircling member extends outwardly then downwardly. Preferably, the encircling member and the handle are an integral molding of rigid impact-resistant plastic. A substantially vertical plate having a centrally located slot to permit passage of the handle is secured to the aforementioned side of the encircling member through the expediency of a pair of rivets, one extending through the plate and the side on either side of the handle. An inwardly extending projection, contoured to locationally engage the natural indentation created by the fold near the top of the carton, is carried by the plate. In a preferred embodiment, the plate and the engaging projection is a single unit of resilient plastic.

Refer-ring now to the drawings in which the same reference numerals indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views, FIG. 1 illustrates the encircling member 10 having four (4) equal substantially rectangular sides. A handle 11 extends outwardly then downwardly from approximately central of the rear side 10a. A reinforcing lip 12 extends perpendicularly outward from either side of the handle near its inner edge. A resilient plate 13 having a vertical elongate slot 14 to receive the handle 11 is secured to the side 10a by rivets 17 passing through the corresponding apertures 18 and 19 located in the plate 13 and the side 10a respectively. An engaging projection 20 integral with the upper portion of the plate 13 extends inwardly therefrom.

Turning now to FIG. 2, the assembled device of FIG. 1 is illustrated as locationally engaging a container here shown as a wax-impregnated milk carton 21. Typically, the milk carton 21 is closed at its upper end by inwardly upwardly sloping opposite sides 22 and 23 terminating with a sealed upwardly projecting seam 24. A pouring spout is created by splitting the seam 24 along the area A and folding the sides 22 and 23 as indicated by the dashed line 24. Inwardly upwardly sloping portions 28 and 29 are contoured to coincide the undersurface of the sides 22 and 23. A flattened portion 30 abstracts the apex which would normally be formed by the portions 28 and 29.

FIG. 3 further details the locational engagement between the holder and the carton. Inwardly upwardly sloping lower edges 31 of the portions 28 and 29 of the projection 20 coincide with the lower portion of the fold created near the top of the rear side 32 of the milk carton 21.

In operation, the users hand grasps the handle 11 while his thumb is placed upon the flattened portion 30 to urge the projection 20 rearward. The holder 10 is now slipped downwardly over the carton 21 until the projection 20 is opposite the indentation formed in the rear side 32. At this point the user removes his thumb, allowing the spring action of the resilient plate 13 to locationally engage the projection 20. After opening the carton in the usual manner, the handle is employed for safe, convenient carrying and manipulation of the container.

It is herein noted that the holder, being locationally engaged with the carton as here before described, prevents accidental separation of the carton and the holder. Further, as the holder and handle are disposed near the upper portion of the container, substantially all of the weight of the contents of the container is retained below the gripping point to assure proper balance and avoid accidental tipping.

Various changes and modifications of the device herein specifically chosen for purposes of illustration will readily occur to persons having ordinary skill in the art. One such modification would involve the construction of the invention from metal and subsequently coated with Teflon or plastic. In this sense, the plate 13 could especially be constructed of spring tempered steel. To the extent that such modifications and changes do not depart from the spirit of the :present invention, they are intended to be included in the scope thereof, which is limited only by a fair and just interpretation of the following claim.

Having fully described and disclosed my invention and the preferred embodiments thereof, in such a manner as to enable those skilled in the art to understand and practice the same, I claim:

1. A carton-holding device for handling a liquid carton, said carton including a rectangular horizontal base,

four vertical side panels extending upwardly from the periphery of said base, and

an angular top formed by folding opposed pairs of said side panels inwardly and upwardly, providing inverted V-shaped indentations on the front and back of said top,

the panel forming said front indentation adapted to fold outwardly, providing a pouring spout for said liquid, said holding device comprising:

(a) a rectangular carton support band dimensioned to engage the four side panels of said liquid carton along a substantial vertical length thereof sufficient to support said carton without substantial deformation thereof when said carton is located within said band in pouring position;

(b) a handle attached to the rear of said band and extending outwardly and downwardly therefrom, terminating in an end spaced from said carton when said carton is located within said band; and

(c) a support band positioning member for locating and positioning said support band around the upper portion of said carton, just below said angular top, said positioning member comprising (i) a forwardly extending inverted V-shaped member dimensioned to be received in the inverted V-shaped indentation on the back of the top of said carton, and

(ii) a resilient pillar member connecting said positioning member to the rear edge of said support band.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,635,000 4/1953 Baker 29431 2,757,034 7/1956 Puhl 294-31 2,810,503 10/1957 Krueger;

2,976,074 3/1961 Weinar et a1. 29431.2 X 3,073,642 1/1963 Barnes 224 X EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

HARVEY C. HORNSBY, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 224-45 

